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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28777581">boogieman</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cis_king_uwu/pseuds/cis_king_uwu'>cis_king_uwu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>104th Training Corps - Freeform, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Vampire, College Student Armin Arlert, F/F, F/M, Hange is obsessed with Vampires, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Eren Yeager Are Siblings, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Levi Are Related, Nonbinary Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scout Regiment, Vampire College AU, What vampire mythology am I using today? No idea, they look like how they do in the time skip because that makes more sense with their ages</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:49:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,326</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28777581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cis_king_uwu/pseuds/cis_king_uwu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>the vampire college au with the possibility of a secret society? aka a lot is happening here</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armin Arlert/Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover/Annie Leonhart, Colt Grice/Zeke Yeager, Hitch Dreyse/Marlo Sand | Marlowe Freudenberg, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Levi/Erwin Smith, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë, Oluo Bozado/Petra Ral, Sasha Blouse/Niccolo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. campanula</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The dim street lamps were beginning to flicker on when Armin left the library that night. Campus curfew was in nearly half an hour and Armin didn't want to be caught walking the grounds after it had started. Campus security was notorious for how they treated students caught out after curfew, even the best-performing students at the university weren't exempt from their roughness. But Armin supposed that they were only doing their jobs, the university couldn't deal with a student being injured during the night. It was also only a few weeks into the semester and Armin didn't want to get on the bad side of campus security, especially since he was only a freshman and had multiple semesters left until he got his degree. </p><p>Armin clutched the straps of his bookbag a little tighter in his hands before picking up his pace, his and Eren's dorm was on the complete opposite side of the campus. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sure that his hands were shaking, despite the fact that they're holding the straps of his bag. He'd lost track of time while he was studying for an upcoming exam in his biology class and had to scramble to leave when he finally realized what time it was. One of the university's librarians had scolded him when he was heading out of the building, which had become a common occurrence for the library staff at that point. Armin was known to cut it relatively short to curfew in the library but never this close. No one else was on the grounds around him, everyone knowing good and damn well that it wasn't smart to be out late on campus. </p><p>The entire student body didn't know why there was a curfew on campus, or why it was so heavily enforced, but had slowly grown accustomed to it over the years. None of the professors, not even the dean himself, would explain it so it just continued to go unexplained. </p><p>A familiar vibration coming from his back pocket broke Armin out of his thoughts. He slowed down a little to pull his phone out of his pocket, seeing that he had three new texts from Eren. </p><p>
  <em>From: Eren</em>
</p><p>
  <em>wru?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sent: 8:26pm</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>From: Eren</em>
</p><p>
  <em>srsly armin? wru? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sent: 8:27pm</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>From: Eren</em>
</p><p>
  <em>if you don't respond mikasa and i are gonna come find you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sent: 8:28pm</em>
</p><p>Armin sighs and quickly types a response, knowing that it would be best for Eren and Mikasa to remain in the dorms rather than come and find him. The adoptive siblings were already known around campus for just finding trouble wherever they went, with Armin not too far behind them. Luckily their dorm building was co-ed, along with the majority of the other ones on campus, so they were all able to spend time together, even after curfew had started. Campus security never went far enough to check inside of the dorm buildings unless they were called into one of them. </p><p>
  <em>To: Eren</em>
</p><p>
  <em>i'm on my way back from the library, i'll be there soon.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sent: 8:29pm</em>
</p><p>Armin slides his phone back into his pocket before continuing on his walk home, knowing that the less time he spent on his phone the better. He needed to make sure that he made it back to his dorm building before curfew started so minimizing distractions is what he needs to do. </p><p>It was starting to get dark enough to the point where he couldn't see what wasn't being illuminated by the street lamps so he picked up his pace, looking around him as he did. The lights in the majority of the educational buildings were off beside the occasional lamp in the office of a professor or where a janitor was cleaning. He could see two students quickly leaving the science building closest to him, the pair talking in hushed tones as they walked. Armin couldn't recognize them from the distance they were at so he decided to keep moving, if they were friends of his they would just have to understand why he was in a hurry to get back to his dorm. </p><p>"Hey, Armin!" A familiar voice called out to him. </p><p>Armin's heart leaped into his throat as he turned his head to look at who called his name. He didn't have time to take part in whatever conversation Reiner and Bertolt had planned. Armin slowed so the pair could catch up to him, mentally berating himself for allowing the need to be polite to overwhelm his need to get back to his dorm. </p><p>"Hey Reiner, Bertolt" Armin says in greeting when the pair reach him. </p><p>"What are you doing out this late?" Reiner asks, looking down at the shorter blonde with a quizzical look on his face. </p><p>The 104th class, the class that the three of them were in, was an unusually tight-knit group of students, at least compared to the overall size of the university, so Armin would like to consider himself friends with both Reiner and Bertolt. The three of them have their freshman orientation course together, a class that Eren and Mikasa are also in, and so they've worked together in a group setting a few times already. </p><p>"I lost track of time in the library, I'm heading back to my dorm right now" Armin says. </p><p>"You and Eren are in Maria hall right?" Bertolt asks, earning a quick look from Reiner. </p><p>Armin simply nods, simply wondering how Bertolt knew that. Dorm hall assignments weren't exactly an extremely private matter but Armin didn't remember a time where he had mentioned to either of them what hall he and Eren were staying in. The look that Reiner had given him had implied something that made Armin question just why he knew about it, maybe Eren or Mikasa had talked to them about the dorms? </p><p>"Bertolt and I are in there too! We can just walk together then" Reiner says before flashing another look at Bertolt. </p><p>Armin nods and the three of them silently set off towards their dorm building. Even with Armin standing on the right of Reiner he could feel the tension increasing between the two friends. Had he simply just ran into them at a bad time or did something silently happen between them during their short conversation? Armin repressed the urge to sigh, surely it must have been something the pair had spoken about earlier that was coming to a head now.</p><p>As they continue walking Armin sees a few other people rushing by a few meters away from them, all heading in the direction of the dorm buildings. Not being the only one cutting it so close to curfew made Armin feel a little bit better but his heart was still racing in his chest. </p><p>"So, Armin, you going to the party this weekend?" Reiner asks, clearly trying to make small talk with Armin to avoid whatever's going on with him and Bertolt. </p><p>Eren had mentioned to Armin a few days ago that a group of people from their dorm hall were starting to organize a party of sorts but Armin didn't know that it was gonna be so soon. Parties weren't exactly his scene anyway but knowing his friends he'd probably be dragged along somehow. </p><p>"Probably, are you guys going?" Armin asks, trying to keep the conversation going.</p><p>"This guy over here doesn't like parties much," Reiner says, jabbing a thumb in Bertolt's direction, ", but I'll definitely be there" </p><p>"Parties aren't really my scene either but I'll most likely get dragged there by Eren and Mikasa" Armin says truthfully. </p><p>"Maybe they can drag Bertolt there too" Reiner says with a laugh.</p><p>"You know why I don't like them, Reiner" Bertolt cuts in, his voice as sharp as a knife. </p><p>"Woah there, big guy, I was just kidding" Reiner says, raising his arms in mock surrender.</p><p>Armin couldn't help but roll his eyes at the pair, not that he allowed them to see it of course. </p><p>As they made the final turn to arrive on the stone pathway to the dorm hall, Armin's phone starts buzzing in his pocket. Both Reiner and Bertolt seemingly jump at the sound of his phone going off, which Armin quickly writes off as them being startled by the unexpected phone call. With a sigh, he pulls it out and sees that Eren is calling him. Armin quickly answers the phone before it stops ringing. Eren definitely seems to be taking the campus curfew more seriously than Armin does. </p><p>
  <em>"Where are you? Mikasa's worried and you know how she gets" </em>
</p><p>"I'm almost inside, Eren, I'll be there in a few" Armin says with a sigh. </p><p>
  <em>"You'd better hurry up, curfew is in five minutes" </em>
</p><p>"Okay, I'm almost there" Armin says, slightly picking up his pace. </p><p>
  <em>"Ok" </em>
</p><p>"Bye" Armin says and swiftly hangs up the phone. </p><p>He slides his phone back into his pocket and continues walking. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Bertolt and Reiner sharing a quick look but neither of them says anything so he decides to do that as well. In silence, they arrive at the front door of their dorm building, where Reiner quickly swipes his key card and lets them all inside. The main area of the building has a few tables and chairs for the residents to use for studying or as just a communal area before splitting off down two hallways, one to the left and the other to the right. A few other students are mingling in the communal area, all of whom ignore the three students who barely made curfew. </p><p>"Well, we'll see you later Armin" Reiner says with his trademark grin. </p><p>Armin nods and watches as the two of them turn down the left hallway, supposedly to head to their dorm room. With a small huff, Armin walks through the communal area and turns down the hallway to the right. The first floor of the building is where the majority of the women's dorm rooms are, along with the third floor, while the men's dorms are on the second and fourth floors of the building. Halfway down every hall is where the bathrooms and laundry areas are and the kitchen is on the main floor with the communal area. Luckily, Eren and Armin's dorm is on the second floor so Armin doesn't have too far to go.</p><p>He walks the rest of the way there silently, secretly thankful that he didn't run into anyone else that he's friends with as he just wanted to get home as soon as possible. The door to his and Eren's dorm is open when he gets there, which is a usual thing for Eren to do until they're both home. Most of the other residents of the hall leave their doors open as well when one or both of the room's inhabitants are home in case anyone wants to visit or study or anything along those lines. </p><p>Mikasa and Eren are sitting on the two bean bag chairs that they had brought from home which are now tucked into the corner of the room with books and papers strewn about in front of them. They both look up when Armin walks in and closes the door behind himself. Eren looks at him for a second before scrunching up his nose in what Armin could only describe as disgust. </p><p>"Did you go to one of the bio labs tonight?" He asks. </p><p>"No, why?" Armin asks, dropping his bag down next to his bed. </p><p>"You just.....smell weird" Eren says. </p><p>"Eren!" Mikasa gasps, lightly smacking her adoptive brother's arm. </p><p>Eren glares at Mikasa for a second before turning his attention back to his roommate. Armin sat down on his bed and began to take his shoes off, looking at Eren with a confused look. He didn't think that he smelt bad so how could Eren say that he does when he's so far away from him? </p><p>"Sorry, Armin, I don't know where that came from" He says after a moment. </p><p>"It's fine" Armin sighs.</p><p>"You cut it real close to curfew, Armin, what took you so long?" Mikasa asks after a moment, narrowing her eyes at him slightly.</p><p>As long as Armin has known Mikasa she's been overprotective, mainly over Eren but she's like that with nearly everyone she's friends with and/or cares about. Ever since they started university this overprotectiveness of hers kicked into overdrive, or that's what Eren had said to Armin on numerous occasions, and she hardly lets the two of them out of her sight unless she knows exactly where they're going and who they're going to be with. Eren's mother had asked her to keep an eye on them during their time away at school but Armin couldn't help but feel that she was taking that promise a little too literally. </p><p>"I ran into Reiner and Bertolt and I walked back with them" Armin says. </p><p>Mikasa slowly nods her head, seeming to accept Armin's explanation. Eren looks slightly confused for a moment but then his face lights up. </p><p>"Armin! Did they mention if they're going to the party or not?" He asks.</p><p>"Reiner said he'll probably be there but Bertolt won't" Armin replies.</p><p>"Then Annie won't be there too" Mikasa says.</p><p>Everyone in the 104th class knew that Bertolt and Annie were dating, apparently, according to them and Reiner, they were high school sweethearts and did nearly everything together. </p><p>"Why do you ask?" Armin asks. </p><p>"Marco asked me to ask around to see who was planning on going or not. They need to know how much stuff to buy in preparation for it" Eren explains. </p><p>"Are you going, Armin?" Mikasa asks. </p><p>"You both will drag me there if I say no anyways" Armin says with a small laugh.</p><p>"You're damn right we will! This will be the biggest party this campus has ever seen!" Eren says triumphantly. </p><p>"Best not to yell about it, Eren, some people don't want to hear about it" Armin says. </p><p>A lot of the students are deathly afraid of campus security after all so none of them are exactly excited that this party is happening, especially when it isn't even scheduled to start until a while after curfew has already started that night. </p><p>"Screw them then!" Eren says, flipping off the wall closest to him. </p><p>"Eren! It's late, you should quiet down" Mikasa hisses at him. </p><p>Eren rolls his eyes at his adoptive sister but doesn't say anything else as he goes back to looking at whatever textbook he had in his hands. Armin flops back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. He tried to think about if he had any assignments due tomorrow or this week but all his mind would wander to was the previous tension between Reiner and Bertolt during their walk back to the dorm hall. Why would Reiner offer to walk with him if they were in the middle of a fight? Or maybe Bertolt just got mad because he didn't want to walk with Armin? Armin mentally groaned and shoved the thoughts to the side, why does he care about what they think of him anyway?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>didn't really know how to format the text messages but I'll figure it out eventually</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. lacrimosa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The dining hall was as silent as it could be when Armin and Eren arrived the next morning. The pair were still half-asleep but they had promised Jean and Marco that they'd meet them here before classes started for the day, they all had midterms to start studying for after all. A few other students were in the dining hall eating breakfast when they picked out a table and sat down. They chose a long enough table where they, along with Jean and Marco, could have their own respective study areas without being super cramped. The four of them didn't have class until around noon that day so they had enough time to get at least an hour or two of studying in. Eren looked around the room for a second before giving Armin a weird look. </p>
<p>"Did you hear that?" Eren asked, looking around the room again. </p>
<p>"Hear what?" Armin asks, not knowing what in the world his best friend was talking about. </p>
<p>The dining hall was silent other than the two of them talking and a few other students that Armin didn't recognize in the far corner of the room. But they were far enough away that Eren couldn't possibly be able to hear what they were talking about, especially since it seemed like they were whispering. On a regular day Armin would have chalked it up to Eren being sleep-deprived and hearing things but the halfway terrified look on his best friend's already concerningly-pale face convinced him otherwise. </p>
<p>"Nevermind" Eren groans after a few moments of relative silence. </p>
<p>"Eren, are you okay?" Armin asks without a second thought. </p>
<p>First, his comment about Armin apparently smelling bad last night, and now this? Maybe it could be the stress from midterms and his overall course load getting to him and messing with his senses or something else entirely could be going on. </p>
<p>"Of course, Armin, why wouldn't I be?" Eren asks, putting on a painfully fake smile. </p>
<p>"I don't know. You can talk to me or Mikasa if there is something going on" Armin says softly, Eren refusing to meet his gaze. </p>
<p>His best friend simply nods his head. They fall into an uneasy silence while they eat their respective meals. </p>
<p>Students begin to slowly trickle into the dining hall, a few of those being some that Armin does recognize. A few people in their class enter the dining hall and sit down at some of the tables near them. Mikasa joins the pair when she arrives, Sasha, Connie, Jean, and Marco following soon after. There was just enough room at their table for the seven of them and Armin knew at that moment that they weren't going to get any studying done. </p>
<p>"So the date for the party's been set" Jean says, a somewhat arrogant grin on his face. </p>
<p>Everyone knew that Jean takes pride in the parties he's planned, no matter how well they go or not, and that he'll always be the first one to brag about them. The whole student body knows about his upcoming party so their dorm building should be pretty packed this weekend, despite it being a freshman-only building. Armin was just hoping that he could figure out an excuse that would allow him to bail early in time. </p>
<p>"Which is?" Connie asks in between bites of bacon. </p>
<p>"Friday starting at 10:30. Campus security doesn't go by our dorm around then so people should be able to sneak in pretty easily" Jean says smugly. </p>
<p>"It should be fun, I hope you can all make it" Marco says hopefully. </p>
<p>"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Marco" Eren says, clearly excited. </p>
<p>Even when they were in high school Eren wouldn't miss a party, even if it meant that he would end up grounded for months on end or have Mikasa and Armin make up some elaborate story to cover for him. But they wouldn't have to cover for him anymore, it's not like his parents would ground him for going to a college party that they have no knowledge about. </p>
<p>"Hey, Eren, isn't Professor Yeager your brother?" Sasha asks, her mouth full of what Armin only assumes is some sort of breakfast meat. </p>
<p>Eren's older half-brother, Zeke, is one of the math professors at the university and started teaching just a year before Armin, Eren, Mikasa, and the rest of their class enrolled. Growing up, Eren and Zeke had a strained relationship because they weren't able to see each other much, and Zeke is nearly ten years older than Eren. Armin's only met Zeke a handful of times and he's been best friends with Eren since they were in elementary school. </p>
<p>"Uh yeah, why?" Eren asks, taking a sip of his coffee. </p>
<p>"Is there any way you could convince him to push back the exam for his class?" She asks with puppy dog eyes, hopefulness clear on her face. </p>
<p>"Probably not, sorry Sasha" Eren says, seeming to be genuinely apologetic. </p>
<p>"Dammit, I haven't studied for that one yet. Have you, Armin?" Jean asks. </p>
<p>"He gave us the study guide last week, Jean, so yes" Armin responds with a huff. </p>
<p>"Can I look at yours? Please, Armin, I'll owe you big time" Jean says, trying out his own puppy dog eyes on Armin. </p>
<p>Armin groaned internally but nodded. Jean whooped in victory and smiled at the blonde, who was fishing the packet out of his schoolbag. Once he found it, he passed it across the table to Jean. The brunette whipped out his phone and took pictures of the pages, including Armin's work, before handing it back to him. Armin stuffs the packet back into his bag and continues to eat his breakfast, almost completely tuning out those around him. Sasha and Connie were complaining about their workload while Jean, Marco, and Eren occasionally chimed in and Armin and Mikasa continued to eat their respective meals. When the seven of them all ate meals together, which happened nearly once or twice a week, they all normally talked for a while before breaking off into separate little conversations or they would just sit and eat or study in silence. </p>
<p>From the corner of his eye, Armin could see Eren tense up out of nowhere before anyone else noticed. His gaze was locked onto the main entrance of the dining hall, unmoving, and his mouth was popped open just a little bit. Armin followed his gaze and saw that a group of other students in their class had just entered the room and were trying to find a table that they could all fit at. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie were joined by Pieck Finger, Porco Galliard, Marcel Galliard, and Colt Grice that morning. They all seemed to notice that Eren was staring blankly at them as they all flitted their gaze over to him more than once, Reiner being the only one that noticed that Armin was also looking at them. He gave the other blonde a small smile before sitting down at the table that Bertolt and Annie had picked out. </p>
<p>"Eren, Earth to Eren" Jean says, waving his hand in front of Eren's face. </p>
<p>Eren quickly snapped out of his gaze to glare at Jean, who quickly moved his hand away from the other boy's face. </p>
<p>"What, Jean?" Eren basically snapped at him. </p>
<p>"Marco wanted to know if you wanted to DJ the party or if he'd have to find someone else to do it" Jean says. </p>
<p>"I'll do it" Eren says after a moment, his gaze slowly returning to the table where Reiner and the others sat. </p>
<p>Armin wanted to ask why he was looking at them but decided against it. He could always ask later, when he and Eren were back in their dorm just the two of them, instead of asking in front of everyone else and putting him on the spot. Maybe he just had a thing for one of them that he hadn't mentioned to anyone? Or maybe he was just zoning out and that's where his gaze ended up? It's not like it really mattered that much at the end of the day which one it is, if it's even one of those two things, and if something important was happening Eren would tell him and Mikasa before anyone else. </p>
<p>~*~</p>
<p>"We need to get moving, Commander, their numbers around here are only growing"</p>
<p>"They seem to be at a standstill right now, Captain"</p>
<p>"We can't just wait for an opening, we need to strike now while we have a chance!"</p>
<p>"I get your impatience but there are some things that I need to see to fruition first"</p>
<p>"Like the Yeager kid? We can't rely upon a student" </p>
<p>"He'll be a great asset to our cause, we need him on our side and not on theirs"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. alstroemerieae</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A small ball of paper softly lands right next to Armin's hand on his desk, prompting him to move his gaze from the whiteboard in the front of the class to his classmates around him. All of them are either paying attention to the lecture and taking notes or somehow using their phones, other than Mikasa, sitting at the desk diagonally behind Armin. who was looking pointedly back and forth between himself and Eren. She nods her head down when he catches her gaze, silently motioning to the piece of paper on Armin's desk. He returns his gaze to the front of the classroom, where Professor Yeager was beginning to finish up the day's lecture. The TA, a senior at the university named Yelena, was starting to hand out that day's assignments so Armin only had a few seconds to open the note from Mikasa. </p><p>Armin quickly unravels the note and quickly reads it before Yelena arrived at his desk. </p><p>
  <em>do you think that eren's been acting strange lately? </em>
</p><p>Armin frowned for a moment before grabbing his pencil and quickly writing his reply to her question. Normally if Mikasa was worried about Eren she'd take her concerns straight to the man in question so it was strange for her to ask Armin instead. Maybe she just didn't want to make a big deal out of nothing? Or maybe she wanted to confront Eren with Armin? He would be in denial if he said that Eren hadn't been acting strange lately, or even since they arrived on campus for the first time if he was being honest. He was always hearing things that other people couldn't hear or complain about rancid smells that no one else could smell, both of which Armin had decided to attribute to the stress of his new college workload but now he wasn't sure. </p><p>
  <em>a little bit, why? </em>
</p><p>Armin quickly slid the small piece of paper under his notebook when Yelena got closer to him, not wanting to get in trouble for passing notes in class. Not that he thought that Professor Yeager necessarily cared about it or not but he wanted to stay on the 'right' side of all of his professors. She silently set the packet on his desk and moved on, a slightly suspicious look on her face but she doesn't say anything. He quickly took the note out from under his notebook and used stretching as an excuse to drop the note on Mikasa's desk. </p><p>"Take the rest of the class to work on this assignment. If you have any questions feel free to ask either Yelena or myself" Professor Yeager says at the front of the room before sitting down at his desk. </p><p>The class had quickly started to talk amongst themselves, some moving seats so they could work on the assignments with their friends or people they'd know would do good on the assignment. Eren was engaged in a conversation with Jean and Connie so Armin turned around to see if Mikasa was available to work with. Not that he needed the help with the assignment but Armin wanted to know why she had slipped him that note in the first place. She slid out of her desk and sat down in the recently vacated one to Armin's right, the one where Ymir normally sat but she now was working with Christa a few seats over. </p><p>"Do you think anyone else has noticed?" Mikasa asked in a hushed tone. </p><p>"No, I don't think so. He's been acting normal around everyone else I think" Armin says after a moment. </p><p>If another one of their classmates had noticed Eren's changing behavior it would've been a shock to Armin, seeing as how the majority of them had only known each other for a few weeks at that point. Mikasa, Eren, and Armin had known each other since they were children so it was only natural for them to notice changes in each other, no matter how small those changes might be. Eren might just be overwhelmed with stress or something like that and that's what Mikasa and Armin could be noticing, or something else could be happening in his life that he's not telling them about. </p><p>"I'm worried, Armin, normally he talks to us about his problems" Mikasa says, her worry clear in her tone. </p><p>Despite knowing Eren for a longer period of time, Armin's care for him couldn't possibly rival Mikasa's. Eren's family took her in after her parents were murdered in a home invasion, Eren and his father were the one's to find her parent's bodies and Mikasa after the attack, and Eren's been her best friend/brother ever since. If Eren ever had problems going on in his life he always spoke to the two of them about it, just like how the two of them spoke to him about their troubles. </p><p>"He'll come to us in time, Mikasa, if it's something serious" Armin says, trying to hide his own worry to put her at ease. </p><p>If Eren was seriously struggling with something he'd wait a while, he'd try to deal with it on his own, before bringing it to his two best friends, that's always been how Eren went about things. Armin couldn't deny that he was beginning to worry about Eren, his best friend wasn't normally one to become speechless so when he was staring at Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Pieck, Porco, Marcel, and Colt in the dining hall the other morning it was definitely out of character for him. The last time Armin checked, he thought that Eren was friends with Reiner and Bertolt and was at least friendly with the others. And if rumors around campus were to be believed, Colt and Professor Yeager were going out so maybe that's why Eren didn't like him? But he and Professor Yeager weren't close enough to give each other input on their personal relationships so that couldn't possibly be it. </p><p>Mikasa slowly nodded her head and started working on their assignment, prompting Armin to do the same. Worrying about Eren wouldn't help either of them, he was an adult and maybe there was something going on that he didn't want to tell them about it. Would there be someone else that Eren would go to first instead of them? Armin looked over at Eren's desk out of the corner of his eye to see him not there. Armin subtly looked around the room before his eyes landed on the Yeager brothers, talking in relatively hushed tones at Professor Yeager's desk. Would Eren tell his brother if there was anything going on in his life?</p><p>"Hey, Mikasa?" Armin asks quietly. </p><p>Mikasa looked up at him with a slightly confused look before motioning for him to keep talking with her hand. Armin sighed, looking back up at the two brothers before looking back at his best friend. </p><p>"Do you think he would say anything to his brother? If something was going on?" Armin asked. </p><p>Armin didn't know what Mikasa's relationship with Professor Yeager was like, as he didn't grow up in the same household as both Eren and Mikasa. From what the two of them have told Armin over the years, he knows that Professor Yeager grew up in the same town as them but only lived with his mother, Eren's dad's first wife, and only visited them on holidays or birthdays. Mikasa never speaks of him so he doesn't even know if the two get along or not.</p><p>"I wouldn't think so, Eren and Zeke aren't close" Mikasa says, narrowing her eyes at the two brothers. </p><p>Armin slowly nods but he can't shake the suspicion from his mind, he doesn't think he's seen Eren speak to Professor Yeager during class once throughout the semester so far so why would he start now? </p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. celosia</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The whole dorm building shook from the speakers down the hall from Armin and Eren's room blasting music. All of the room doors were open, students Armin both recognized and didn't mingling in the different rooms and in the hallway. He couldn't hear anything over the music, even his own thoughts, as he walked down the hall and towards the stairs. He couldn't leave the building as curfew started over an hour ago so he was trying to find a quiet place in the building to wait out the rest of the party. </p><p>He knew that Eren and some of his other friends would come looking for him eventually, as they all wanted him to drink with them sometime during the party tonight. Armin didn't hate drinking, he'd been dragged to enough parties with Eren and Mikasa that he's done it before, but it wasn't something he went out of his way to do. He could smell the overabundance of alcohol as he walked away from the mass gathering of his classmates, the smell clogging his nose and masking any and everything else. </p><p>The first floor of the dorm building was quieter, but only just as the music from upstairs was still headache inducingly loud, with only a few students that Armin didn't recognize were lingering in the main gathering area. With a book he's read a dozen times in his hand, Armin turned down a hallway he knew would be empty. The hallway was off of the main gathering area and lead to the cleaning storage closets for dorm maintenance, meaning students typically didn't come down here to hang out. </p><p>He slid down to the, thankfully, carpeted floor and opened his book. The only thing that he brought with him from his dorm, other than his book, was his phone which was on silent in his back pocket. Eren had a habit of calling him when he got too drunk to stand so Armin wanted to make sure that there would be at least one sober person around to help him back to their room. Not that Mikasa wouldn't at least try, even if she was as drunk or drunker than Eren himself. Banishing thoughts of his drunk friends from his mind, Armin forced himself to focus on his book. </p><p>The pounding music from upstairs made it hard for Armin to focus on reading, the shaking wall behind him constantly making him lose where he was and the lyrics making him lose his train of thought. The lighting in the hallway was also abysmal, the singular lightbulb flickering every few moments as his classmates walked overhead made it more difficult to focus on the words on the pages in front of him. From the corner of his eye, Armin saw a few students pass the hallway without a second thought, probably heading upstairs where the main entertainment was. With a sigh, Armin took his gaze off of the book and leveled it on the wall in front of him. </p><p>There was no way he was going to be able to focus on what he was reading in these conditions but he also didn't want to return to his dorm room, images of Jean and Connie trying to hand him a drink with Eren egging them on almost instantly flashing through his head. </p><p>"Armin! What are you doing down here?" </p><p>Armin quickly shifted his gaze from the wall to the man that was steadily approaching him. Reiner took a swig from the drink in his hand as he approached the other blonde, a content look on his face. They did speak about the party the other night so why was Armin surprised to see the other man drinking? It could be because he never imagined seeing anyone other than his close circle of friends at the party, not that seeing other people from the building was an impossibility but it had just never crossed Armin's mind. </p><p>"Hiding" Armin says with a small laugh. </p><p>Armin set his book aside as Reiner laughed, the taller man now standing only a few inches away from him. He looked apprehensive as if he wasn't sure what to do or say next, but that look quickly faded from his face. He slid down the wall and sat a few inches to Armin's right, setting his drink to the side as Armin had just done with his book. The slight flush on his face suggested that he'd been drinking for a while, possibly ever since the party began, which was over an hour ago at this point. </p><p>"I'll hide with you then" Reiner says, looking forward at the wall. </p><p>"You don't have to do that, I'm sure there are people missing you upstairs" Armin says with a slight frown.</p><p>He and Reiner weren't even that close of friends, why was he deciding to stay with him rather than party with the rest of their friends? Surely Bertolt and Annie, if not the rest of their small clique, would come looking for him eventually if he didn't return. </p><p>"Don't be silly, Armin, they're all too drunk to notice I'm gone. I'd rather stay with you anyway" Reiner says, turning to look him in the eyes with a soft look on his face. </p><p>Armin quickly turned away, a blush rapidly forming on his face that he hoped Reiner didn't notice. Reiner must be drunker than he looks, Armin rationalized, there's no way that he would say that to him if he was sober. Armin could hear his heartbeat in his chest and he was pretty sure that Reiner could too, the music be damned. The music made it hard to hear nearly anything but Armin swore he could hear Reiner chuckle and mumble something to himself, but what he said was lost amongst the techno music Marco had decided to play that night. Armin and Reiner hardly spoke, they hardly got the chance too, but when they did it always made Armin's heart speed up just a little bit. The taller blonde always seemed to be there when he needed him, just like the night when he almost broke curfew. If Eren and Jean were pestering him about doing something, Reiner was always there to give them an excuse, most of them small white lies, as to why he couldn't, if some upperclassmen were being assholes to him, Reiner always showed up and shooed them off, and he always appeared in a million other scenarios where Armin begged to have someone come and help him. It was as if he was a mind reader, constantly knowing where and when Armin would need his help the most. But Reiner was like that with everyone, always stepping in and helping when help was needed. That's just who Reiner is. </p><p>"So, Armin, who exactly are you hiding from?" Reiner asks after a few moments have passed.</p><p>Armin turns his head to look Reiner in the eye but is taken aback by the expression on his face, well moreso in his eyes. His features were the type of lax that were typical of someone who was tipsy, or at least getting there, but his eyes held a type of seriousness that Armin had never seen from him before. What was going on with him?</p><p>"Eren and Jean. I know they're gonna make me drink with them but I don't like being drunk" Armin says, which was partially true.</p><p>He didn't always mind being drunk but party settings weren't the place that he enjoyed being drunk at. The loud music and never-ending throng of people would send him into a panic attack if he were the type of drunk that Eren and Jean want him to get to. If it was just them and a few of their friends drinking together it would be completely different but it's not just them, it's practically the entire dorm building and some people from the neighboring buildings. </p><p>Reiner's eyes softened a little bit as a result of Armin's answer but not completely, he looked as if he was going to go find Eren and Jean and beat them up or something. Armin still didn't understand why Reiner cared in the first place. He took a sip of his drink before responding to Armin. </p><p>"I'll protect you from them" He says with a wide grin on his face.</p><p>Armin laughed, mentally noting that Reiner didn't, before slowly nodding his head. The other blonde looked up at the ceiling, his drink in hand, with an unreadable expression on his face. Armin decided not to say anything, not wanting to ruin the mood or make anything super awkward. Reiner, judging by the near-empty cup in his hand the smell of liquor coming off of him that Armin was just now noticing, wouldn't remember any of this the following morning anyway so might as well not say anything deemed to be important. </p><p>"Eren doesn't like me, does he?" Reiner asks after a few moments of silence. </p><p>"Why would you think that?" Armin asks with a skeptical tone of voice. </p><p>Last thing Armin knew was that Eren adored Reiner, thought that he was possibly the coolest guy on campus. He idolized Reiner in the way that a kid idolized their big brother, something Eren never did with his own brother. Eren had never mentioned anything negative about Reiner to Armin so he didn't know if those feelings had changed but it was still a weird thing for him to ask. </p><p>"He glares at me whenever he sees me, especially when I'm talking to you. Say, Armin, are you and Eren...y'know...a thing?" Reiner asked in a hushed tone, moving ever so closer to the other blonde with a deadly look in his eyes. </p><p>"N-No! Of course not. Eren and I are just friends" Armin stammers, his blush from before coming back. </p><p>That time Reiner definitely did see the blush on the other blonde's cheeks, a sly grin appearing on his face because of it. His eyes move down to Armin's lips, lingering there for a few moments, before sliding back up to Armin's blue eyes. </p><p>"So he wouldn't be mad if I did this...." Reiner trailed off, his gaze back on Armin's lips. </p><p>Armin quickly shook his head no, his eyes quickly sliding shut. He heard Reiner chuckle before feeling his breath on his lips. He almost didn't feel Reiner's lips on his own for a moment before he surged forward, his hands landing on Reiner's chest. The coldness of Reiner's lips made Armin jolt but he ignored it, there were way too many things going on to focus on body temperature. One of Reiner's hands slid up into his hair as he pulled him closer, their lips finally starting to move against each other, the other one landing on his hip. Armin could feel the blush on his face spread over his ears and down his neck; he'd never properly kissed anyone before, let alone another guy. </p><p>"ARMIN!"</p><p>Reiner let go of Armin instantly and stood in one fluid motion, leaving Armin a blushing and panting mess on the ground. They turned their heads to see Mikasa standing at the end of the hallway, her face flushed with tears in her eyes. Armin almost immediately stood and went over to her, pushing his kiss with Reiner out of his mind for now. In the entire time that Armin has known Mikasa, he's only seen her cry once and that's when they were eight and Eren was in a different group on a field trip than the two of them. </p><p>"Mikasa, what's wrong?" Armin asks, placing his hands on Mikasa's arms. </p><p>"It's Eren, he's gone" Mikasa wailed, throwing herself into Armin's arms. </p><p>Armin wrapped his arms around his best friend and rubbed soothing circles on her back, Reiner silently slipping past them and walking away as if nothing had or was happening. Maybe that was for the best, Mikasa didn't cry in front of just anyone and if Reiner had stayed it would have just made it worse. What is she even talking about? Eren would never leave the dorm building during the party unless he was forcibly removed or taken somewhere else. Maybe campus security started to investigate the noise and he was the first student they saw so they took him to their offices? That doesn't make sense, if that was the case the music would have been shut off and everyone would have been sent back to their dorms if campus security had found out about the party. </p><p>"What do you mean he's gone?" Armin asks, Mikasa's tears wetting the front of his shirt. </p><p>"S-someone took him, I saw them" Mikasa cried, pulling herself out of Armin's embrace. </p><p>She wiped the tears from her eyes and took in a deep breath, quickly looking around them as she did so. </p><p>"Did you see who took him?" Armin asks after a few moments. </p><p>"Y-yeah, it was two men. I followed them long enough to hear them talk about the old gym" Mikasa says, all of the tears now gone from her face. </p><p>There was an old gym on campus that was said to have been abandoned due to an incident that happened inside of it ten or fifteen years ago but nobody went there, not even kids who wanted to have a secret party. Apparently, the building was haunted or something so no one went there but campus security still patrolled that area of campus to this day. </p><p>"We should go and find him. He could be in trouble" Armin says, clenching his shaking hands into fists at his sides. </p><p>Mikasa nodded and quickly spun around and began to head to the front door of the dorm building. Armin followed quickly behind her, noting that there weren't any students left on the first floor of the building. The night air slapped them both in the face as they exited the building, the coldness of it a shock to Mikasa and Armin. They continued walking, however, as they couldn't waste time complaining about the cold when their best friend, and brother in Mikasa's case, could potentially be in danger. </p><p>The pathway to the old gym was barely lit, the campus around them so dark they could hardly see the outline of some of the buildings, but they pressed on. Mikasa slowed in front of Armin, causing him to look around her at the path ahead of them. About fifteen feet from them stood two figures, it was too dark to determine whether they were male or female, and they were steading approaching them. Armin walked around and stood in front of Mikasa, not wanting another one of his friends to get hurt that night. </p><p>When the pair was five feet away from them Armin was able to recognize them as Professor Levi Ackerman, one of the physics professors at the university, and Professor Miche Zacharias, one of the anthropology professors at the university. Professor Ackerman is also Mikasa's cousin, not that they're very close, and Armin has known him almost as long as he's known Mikasa. </p><p>"Armin, Mikasa, follow us" Professor Zacharias says, turning on his heel as soon as he's finished speaking. </p><p>"What's the meaning of this, Levi? Were you the ones who took Eren?" Mikasa asks, her tone bordering on hysterical. </p><p>"Be quiet, just follow us and you'll find out" Professor Ackerman says sternly. </p><p>Mikasa and Armin share a look before following the two professors, who would hopefully take them to where Eren was. </p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. corydalis</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Neither Professor Ackerman nor Professor Zacharias says a word to Armin or Mikasa on their way to, what Armin presumed their destination was anyway, the abandoned gym. What two professors were doing on campus so late at night is something Armin could only guess at, but why would they have taken Eren? Has he done something? Has someone done something to him? His mind was filled with these questions, and many more, on their silent journey. He just hoped that his questions would get answered when they were brought to Eren, and whoever decided to take him from the party. </p><p>Mikasa hung close to Armin during the duration of their walk, her hand and shoulder oftentimes brushing against his. Her sudden closeness to him was shocking, to say the least, but Armin wrote it off as her being stressed about Eren's disappearance and wanting support in any way possible. It allowed for him to push his recent encounter with Reiner to the back of his mind, or that's what Armin would like to say. The feeling of the other man's lips was lingering on his own, prompting the blush to remain on his cheeks just as vivid as they had been in the hallway. </p><p>They arrived at the abandoned gym quicker than Armin expected, the two professors leading them in through a door that was miraculously unlocked. The inside of the building was dark and the smell of, what Armin could only guess was, mold quickly reached their nostrils. Half of the lightbulbs were dead but the ones that were on were what lead them further into the building. </p><p>"Mikasa, Armin, all of this may be difficult to understand but, in time, you will" Professor Zacharias says, finally breaking the silence. </p><p>"What is that supposed to mean? Is Eren okay?" Mikasa asks, panic lacing her voice. </p><p>"He'll be fine, Mikasa. You should be more worried about yourself and Armin" Professor Ackerman says, looking over his shoulder at his cousin with an unreadable look in his eyes. </p><p>"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mikasa asks, glaring at the man in front of her. </p><p>Armin nudges Mikasa with his arm, trying to silently urge her to be quiet. Despite the two of them being cousins, Mikasa's informality with the professor isn't something that should allow her to nearly cuss him out. Her being rude to him wouldn't answer their questions about Eren, if anything it will get them further from the truth. </p><p>"All of your questions will be answered in time" Professor Ackerman says vaguely. </p><p>The four of them slip back into silence as they continue their walk through the building. They pass a few rooms with closed doors but light slipping out from the cracks, telling Armin that there were other people in the building than just them. They arrive at a set of double doors but the two professors stop just in front of them. They turned around to face the two students with somewhat apprehensive expressions on their faces. </p><p>"Listen, we know that you're both close with Eren but you can't allow for that to skew your perception of what's going on here. We have no intention of hurting him, as long as he complies with us, nor do we have any intentions of hurting either of you" Professor Zacharias explains. </p><p>Why would they ever need to hurt them or Eren? What exactly is going on here? Armin and Mikasa simply nod their heads, neither of them knowing what they should say. The two professors share a look before opening the doors, leading Armin and Mikasa inside. </p><p>The inside of the gymnasium was just as dark and dingy as the rest of the building, despite there being a few industrial lamps in the center of the room. A mass group of people, maybe five or six people maximum, stood around those lights, all looking down at something or, rather, someone. Despite the darkness, Armin could see a chain leading from the side of the room to the center where the group of people was, another one coming from the other side. A few people in the group turned to look at them as they entered but only two approached them. </p><p>As they got closer, Armin recognized the two approaching them as Professor Erwin Smith from the English department and Professor Hange Zoë from the biology department. What were they doing there? And what did they have to do with Eren being taken from the party? Just what in the world was going on here? The two professors look between Mikasa and Armin for a moment but neither of them speaks directly to them. </p><p>"I trust that you two weren't followed" Professor Smith says, looking between Professor Ackerman and Professor Zacharias. </p><p>"All of the students are too busy with that party and campus security got an anonymous tip" Professor Ackerman says, his disdain for the party and, presumably, campus security evident in his voice. </p><p>"Good, good. Armin, Mikasa, please follow me" Professor Smith says before turning on his heel and walked back in the direction he came from.</p><p>The two students quickly followed after the professor, leaving Professor Ackerman and Professor Zacharias where they were. As they approached the group of people, Armin heard Mikasa gasp next to him; there Eren was, bound and gagged on the floor in front of the group. He felt Mikasa start to run forward to him but he grabbed her arm, shaking his head when she whipped her head around to glare at him. Who knows what they would do if Mikasa acted rashly? They could tie them up and do god knows what to them if they started to act out. He had shackles on his hands, so that's what the chains from the sides of the room were being used for Armin mused. As they approach, Eren slowly raises his head and opens his eyes to look at them. In the darkness of the room Armin couldn't fully see his face but his eye color definitely looked different, almost as if it was darker somehow. His nose wrinkles the closer the group gets to him, almost as if he was being forced to smell something foul. </p><p>"What have you done to him?" Mikasa asks, her anger shaking her voice. </p><p>"We haven't done anything to Mr. Yeager besides restraining him" Professor Smith says, sounding almost as if they were in a classroom discussing a book. </p><p>"Why did he need to be restrained?" Armin asks his own panic and worry coming forward. </p><p>"He almost attacked one of your fellow students at the party tonight" Professor Hange says. </p><p>"Attacked? Eren wouldn't attack anyone" Mikasa says, shaking her head as she does. </p><p>A murmur goes around the group, which Armin just now decides to look at. The rest of the group consists of seniors at the university, two women named Petra and Nanaba, and two men named Oluo and Gelgar. What in the world are they doing there? </p><p>"He would have, if Nanaba and Gelgar hadn't been there to stop him" Professor Smith adds. </p><p>"Even if that's the case, why is he being held like this?" Mikasa asks, her eyes narrowing as she looks at Professor Smith and Professor Hange. </p><p>The two professors share a look before speaking. </p><p>"Neither of you know? About what Mr. Yeager <em>is</em>?" Professor Smith asks, looking between Mikasa and Armin. </p><p>They both shake their heads, albeit completely confused. Eren's simply Eren, there's nothing unnatural about him. Nothing unnatural enough anyways to warrant this sort of treatment. </p><p>"He is a vampire" Professor Hange says bluntly, earning a sharp look from Professor Smith. </p><p>"You must be joking, vampires don't exist" Armin says with a nervous laugh. </p><p>They all looked back at him with serious expressions on their faces, no hint of humor anywhere. The chains move as Eren readjust himself, his words lost against the gag in his mouth. With a quick look over to Professor Smith, who nods his head, Nanaba quickly removes it. The limited light in the room shone directly on Eren's face at that moment, highlighting two of his teeth that had been elongated and the reddish hue of his eyes. </p><p>"They aren't lying" Eren says with disdain, not allowing himself to look either Mikasa or Armin in the eye. </p><p>"H-how is that possible? We've known Eren our whole lives and he's always been human" Mikasa says, taking the new information surprisingly well. </p><p>Armin's mind was swarmed with new thoughts and an ever-present feeling of fear. Before now, he'd only assumed that vampires were a thing of legend and not that he'd been sharing a room with one. Was that why Eren had started to act weird and speak of sounds and smells no one else noticed? When had this happened and how did it happen?</p><p>"That's something we don't exactly know either. He's different from all of the other vampires we've encountered" Professor Hange explains. </p><p>"There are others?" Armin blurts out, not believing what he was hearing.</p><p>"This must be a shock to the two of you but there's more that we need to explain" Professor Smith says. </p><p>"Let's move to the meeting room and give these kids a chance to sit down. Nanaba, Gelgar, Oluo, Petra we'll leave you in charge of watching Eren" Professor Hange says.</p><p>Nanaba nods her head as Professor Hange returns their attention to Mikasa and Armin. They and Professor Smith quickly herd the two students away from them and Eren, not giving them as much as a second glance. Professor Ackerman and Professor Zacharias were waiting on the other side of the double doors when they arrived, falling in step behind Mikasa and Armin. That's when it crossed Armin's mind that they were just as much hostages as Eren was, this group wasn't going to allow them to leave after giving them as much information as they just did. They were led into one of the rooms they passed on their way in, one of the ones with the lights one. </p><p>There was a long table in the middle with chairs all around it and papers covered the top of it, looking completely disorganized. Professor Smith motioned for him and Mikasa to sit down, which they did so without question, before he and Professor Hange did. Professor Ackerman and Professor Zacharias stood on either side of the door, silent sentries ensuring that there was no escape of Mikasa and Armin. </p><p>"Now, let's get started" Professor Hange says, resting their chin on their hands. </p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. azalea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Now, let's get started" Professor Hange says, resting their chin on their hands. </p><p>Mikasa and Armin shared a quick look, both of their respective panic and confusion evident on their faces. The professors seemed to have noticed this as well, as the four of them all shared looks between themselves. The atmosphere in the room was thick, no one was speaking but there was much to be said and explained. Armin was still trying to rationalize why this could all be an elaborate joke set up by the professors to have a little bit of fun but that was leading him nowhere but back to the truth. </p><p>"You two must have questions, Hange and Erwin will answer them" Professor Ackerman says flatly.</p><p>"Yes, you surely must have some questions for us" Professor Smith says, looking between Mikasa and Armin with a curious look on his face. </p><p>"How could Eren possibly be a vampire? There's just no way that that's possible" Mikasa says, shaking her head while asking the question. </p><p>The pair, especially Mikasa, was still in shock over all of the information that had just been thrown at them. How could they possibly wrap their heads around the fact that Eren, someone they've known since childhood, was a vampire, something they didn't even know existed until less than half an hour ago. Armin's mind was clouded with questions, so many that he couldn't simply pick one to start with and move on from there. How was he a vampire? When did he become one? Who had he tried to attack? Were there other people in his family that were vampires? Was Professor Yeager one too? Why were there numerous professors from the university handling it? Just who were they really? The list went on and on and it was starting to make Armin's head hurt. </p><p>"Vampires have existed in secret for centuries, blending in with human society and using folklore and other mediums as a way to disguise themselves. They've long evolved past beings not able to set foot in the sun or not be visible in mirrors. Vampires, in a way to try and further blend in with human society, will settle down and start a family, whether that will be with another vampire or a human is dependent upon the vampire themselves. Mr. Yeager is a result of this process" Professor Hange explains, their eyes glossing over in a way that slightly unsettles both Mikasa and Armin. </p><p>"What is that supposed to mean? Both of his parents are human" Armin says, trying to deny what Professor Hange just told him. </p><p>"That is where you're wrong, Armin. Mr. Yeager would have been human had both of his parents been human as well but that is not the case. Mikasa, you were adopted by the Yeagers, correct?" Professor Smith asks. </p><p>Mikasa simply nods her head, a knowing look on her face. </p><p>"Then you must know that Mr. Yeager wasn't, and isn't, human" Professor Smith says, looking her dead in the eyes. </p><p>"That can't be true! If he...if he really is a vampire why take on the additional risk of adopting me?" Mikasa asks, her face contorting in a flurry of emotion. </p><p>"All of the vampires known to settle down with a human are known to do as much as possible to appear human to their partner. Whether that be hunt in different cities or adopt human children is also dependent upon the vampire themselves" Professor Hange chips in. </p><p>"Why didn't Eren seem like a vampire until now?" Armin asks.</p><p>"That is still something we're unsure on, as halfbreeds are rare for us to come across, but Hange has a theory on that" Professor Smith says, motioning for Professor Hange to explain. </p><p>"Without any real reasoning behind Mr. Yeager's sudden vampiric nature, I believe that it could be due to the increase in vampire activity around the campus. Vampires are often drawn to each other on the instinct to form a coven so this instinct might be what triggered his transformation" Professor Hange explains. </p><p>"So that means that there are more vampires around here?" Armin asks. </p><p>"Yes, that's correct. We were called in due to increasing reports of vampire activity in the towns nearby" Professor Smith says. </p><p>"We?" Mikasa asks. </p><p>"We're a small unit of vampire hunters out of the larger whole known as the Survey Corps" Professor Smith explained. </p><p>Why were they being completely transparent with them about everything? Armin suspected that they would answer any questions that they had but he didn't suspect for them to be putting out more information than completely necessary. What was Professor Smith's goal here? Did he want him and Mikasa to join their ranks? Would they use Eren as an incentive for them to join?</p><p>"Why use being professors and students as a cover?" Mikasa asks. </p><p>"We have our suspicions that there might be some vampires that have also infiltrated the university. We were scoping out the party in your dormitory for some of those vampires when Nanaba and Gelgar found Mr. Yeager pre-attack" Professor Hange says. </p><p>"How long are you going to keep Eren captive?" Mikasa asks bluntly. </p><p>"Mr. Yeager will be allowed to leave once we <em>fully</em> explain the situation to him. He cannot be allowed back onto campus unsupervised as long as he remains a threat to others" Professor Smith says. </p><p>"What about us?" Armin asks tentatively. </p><p>"You're both free to go whenever you like, with some conditions of course" Professor Smith says, his mouth pressed into a fine line. </p><p>"And what are those conditions?" Mikasa asks. </p><p>"One, you must never tell anyone else about your experience here tonight or your newfound knowledge of vampires, two, you must keep an eye on Mr. Yeager for us once he's released, and three you must inform of us of any and all strange activity that could be vampire related you witness on campus or when you go into town" Professor Smith says. </p><p>Armin kept the surprise off of his face as best he could after hearing all of Professor Smith's requests? He's not forcing either him or Mikasa to join them? There must be a reason for that, maybe they're going to force Eren to join them and threaten to kill him if he doesn't. Mikasa and Armin share a quick look before nodding at each other, silently agreeing to Professor Smith's conditions together. </p><p>"We accept your conditions" Armin says, his gaze leveled at Professor Smith. </p><p>"Great! Levi and Miche will show you out now, as long as neither of you has any more questions" Professor Smith replied. </p><p>They both shake their heads 'no' and stand, ready to return to their dorms and ponder all of the new things they had just learned. All either of them wanted to know now was when they would be able to see Eren, the Eren that they knew only a few hours prior and not in chains, again. </p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. belladonna</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>No matter how far away they got from Maria Hall, the stench of booze and sweat remained in the noses of Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie. The other two were walking a little bit ahead of Reiner, talking quietly amongst themselves and he didn't feel the need to eavesdrop on them. They had mastered the art of talking so only the pair of them could hear, no matter who or what was around them, ages ago so even if he tried Reiner would be hard-pressed to make out anything from their conversation. Not that he minded, he didn't want to hear whatever loved up gooey shit they were saying to each other anyway. </p><p>As they walked closer and closer to the campus exit, the sound of the music from the party began to dissipate. How campus security hadn't noticed the party in the hours that it's been going on was a mystery to Reiner, someone with awful hearing would still be able to hear it if they were patrolling the campus let alone security officers trained to notice things like it. Reiner shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and kept walking, the actions of some unnamed and unknown campus security officers shouldn't matter to him, Bertolt, and Annie. </p><p>The path they chose was relatively dark, they had scoped it out days before and decided it was the best one for them because it was secluded enough for no one to notice them using it, so they were able to easily evade campus security and anyone else walking around on campus. The alcohol still in Reiner's system from the party wasn't helping his mind move on from his kiss with Armin. Reiner didn't know what had possessed him to do such a thing, he couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted to kiss someone, let alone actually do it, but he didn't exactly regret it. Armin was smart, genuine, prettier than Reiner would like to admit, and seemed as interested in Reiner as much as Reiner's interested in him. But Reiner knew that it was dangerous, dangerous to get involved with someone in the first place, let alone someone who could end Reiner's life as he knew it. </p><p>"Keep up, Reiner, we can't be late" Annie says, not looking back to make sure if the other blonde had heard her or not. </p><p>Reiner knew this, that being late wasn't acceptable in any fashion whatsoever, but he was struggling to find the concern he normally felt when they cut the timing this close. The meeting had been called almost out of nowhere, a text on Reiner's phone from an hour ago was the first that he'd heard about it, and it was in a completely different spot than normal. Their previously scouted-out path was the only way that they could leave campus without getting caught but it also took more time than normal to reach the edge of campus, especially since they were currently prohibited from using their abilities. </p><p>Much to Reiner's surprise, both Bertolt and Annie stop a few feet ahead of him, resulting in Reiner stopping dead in his tracks. The pair turned around to look at him with near-identical quizzical looks on their faces, causing Reiner's heart to sink a little bit. He knew that look, that a line of questioning would be coming his way in a matter of seconds, and just waited for the questioning to start. Reiner assumed that they were far enough out of earshot of anything that could be on campus for them to be comfortable asking whatever questions they had in store for him. </p><p>"What the hell are you thinking?" Bertolt asks, his quizzical look changing to a mad one in a matter of seconds. </p><p>"What do you mean?" Reiner asks, deciding that he wanted to know exactly why Bertolt and Annie decided to interrogate him. </p><p>"With Armin. We know about what happened at the party" Annie says bluntly, her hand quickly finding Bertolt's. </p><p>"What about it?" Reiner asked again. </p><p>In all of their years of knowing each other, Reiner always knew that whatever he did they would find out about it. He knew it was just because they cared about him, you don't spend centuries pretending to be best friends or brothers or, in some cases, lovers without caring for each other, but sometimes he wished that they allowed him an ounce of privacy. He didn't pry into their relationship, even when the pair refused to speak to each other for weeks and vented to him about their problems with each other, so they shouldn't pry into his personal life without his consent first. </p><p>"You know how dangerous getting involved with him would be, don't you?" Bertolt asks, his expression softening somewhat. </p><p>"Yes, of course I do" Reiner responds quickly, a small frown on his face. </p><p>And to think that Reiner believed that his best friend, the person he's known for the longest without any close competition, would be happy for him. Happy that, for the first time in a long time, Reiner had found someone who made him want to be a good person again. Humans never normally catch his eye, their lifespan was a minor blip in comparison to Reiner's and all of the people he normally associated with, but Armin had.</p><p>"I want you to be happy, Reiner, we both do but you need to be careful" Annie says in place of her partner. </p><p>"We need to get going or else we'll be late" Reiner says flatly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. </p><p>The pair both nodded and turned around, their hands unclasping and rejoining as soon as possible, something about the action making Reiner's heartache. They'd been together for almost as long as Reiner could remember and knew each other better than they knew themselves, something that most people strived for. He'd only seen a few other relationships like theirs, they were a good pair and had managed out the kinks in their relationship ages ago. </p><p>The end of the path was in sight now, along with the group of people that they were supposed to be meeting with. The path led to a side alley leading into the center of town, a perfect escape from the campus that was hardly ever populated by students or citizens of the town alike. As they got closer, Reiner immediately noticed that someone was missing. Maybe Porco hadn't sent the invitation to Zeke or maybe he just decided that it wasn't worth the trip back to campus, either scenario just as likely as the other. </p><p>"You're right on time" Pieck says as they arrive, a light smile on her face. </p><p>"Is this everyone who's coming?" Bertolt asked, clearly looking for the groups missing member. </p><p>"Zeke couldn't make it, we'll get him up to speed soon" Colt says, only supplying the information that was necessary. </p><p>The rumors going around the campus about Colt and Zeke's relationship had only been confirmed in their small group, as they'd been together for a few months at this point. Relationships within the group were notoriously private in the beginning, as it was difficult enough for two of their kind to get along long enough to engage in a serious relationship, let alone maintain one for a long time, but got more and more public as time went by. Reiner had lost count of the failed relationships amongst vampires he knew in his time being one, but he also gave up counting and keeping track of said relationships years ago. </p><p>"Okay so why did you call a meeting?" Annie asks. </p><p>"We have more information on the hunters" Porco says, clearly proud of whatever discovery that they had made. </p><p>"What about them?" Reiner asks, his interest piqued. </p><p>"They have Eren Yeager in their custody" </p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. hyacinth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The silence surrounding Armin once he entered his dorm room was deafening. It's been a day since Marco's party, since Eren was kidnapped by the group called the Survey Corps, since his entire world was shifted onto its head. He and Mikasa had been close to inseparable ever since, excluding when they didn't have classes together, as they were patiently waiting for Eren's return to the dorm. Professor Smith had said Eren would be released after his situation had been explained to him but Professor Smith had been there for his classes today so why hadn't Eren come back yet? Maybe they were waiting until he was 'normal' again? Armin didn't know, all he knew was that he wanted to be able to see his best friend and make sure that he was okay.  </p><p>Armin slid his backpack off of his shoulders and set it down next to the desk on his side of the room, leaving the door to his dorm room open. He knew that Mikasa would be getting out of her last class of the day shortly, meaning that she would be coming over soon to wait with him for Eren to come back. It was also unlike him to leave the door closed and he knew that it was crucial for no one to suspect anything was wrong, both he and Mikasa had had to lie to everyone and say that Eren had to go home per his mother's rather spontaneous request. They probably didn't believe them, as if there was an actual family emergency Mikasa also would have left campus along with Eren instead of him just going alone but no one asked any more questions about it after that. </p><p>Despite Armin knowing that Eren was still on campus, and should be coming back soon, he couldn't help but miss his best friend. They hadn't spent more than a few days apart ever since their childhood so not having him there was tough, they normally did everything together so it was strange to not. It was selfish, at least Armin could admit it, but he wanted to be able to talk to his best friend about what had happened at the party between himself and Reiner. He knew that the Survey Corps could damn well be torturing Eren for all he knew but not being able to vent to him was something Armin just wasn't used to. Sure, he had Mikasa and a few of the friends he'd made amongst their classmates but he knew that he could speak to Eren judgment-free, that he would listen to what he had to say and try and help him to the best of his ability. </p><p>Armin sighed. </p><p>He grabbed a book from his desk without looking at the name of it, he had a brand new stack on there of books that he'd borrowed from the campus library and had yet to start any of them, and sat down on his bed. He needed something to distract his mind, at least until Mikasa got there then they'd be able to talk things out. He knew that if he wanted to talk to her about his kiss with Reiner that she'd listen but her mind was elsewhere, all she wanted was to get her brother back and make sure that he was okay. </p><p>The book kept his attention well enough, despite getting mentally sidetracked a few times before officially starting it until there was a knock at the door. Armin looked up from the book and his mouth fell open a little bit; Reiner stood there with a familiar book in his hand and a sheepish look on his face. Armin closed the book he was holding and set it on the bed beside him. They hadn't spoken, let alone shared a glance, ever since their kiss at Marco's party so Armin was surprised to see him, not that he would let Reiner see that though. </p><p>"You can come in" Armin says after a moment, a light blush dusting his cheeks. </p><p>Reiner nods and enters the otherwise empty dorm room, his eyes taking in the room before landing on Armin. </p><p>"You forgot this so I figured I'd return it" Reiner says, using one hand to point to the book that he held in the other. </p><p>Armin stood from the bed and walked over to Reiner, who looked down at him with a look of trepidation on his face. He must be embarrassed about what happened at the party, Armin decides, as he takes the book out of his hand. He silently sets the book down next to the stack on his desk before returning his attention to the taller man. </p><p>"Thank you" Armin says with a small smile. </p><p>Reiner returns the smile before the pair falls silent, neither of them knowing what to say to each other. Despite the awkward and drawn-out silence, Reiner makes no indication, or at least not one that Armin notices, that he wants to leave. The tall blonde looked over at Eren's side of the dorm room, as messy as Eren had left it the day before with his bed covers nearly on the ground and textbooks spread all around, before looking back down at Armin. </p><p>"You dorm with Eren, right?" Reiner asks. </p><p>Armin nods. </p><p>"I hope that everything is going okay with him, did he tell you when he'd be back?" Reiner asks, care and worry for his classmate apparent in his tone of voice. </p><p>"Within the next few days, I think" Armin says, hopeful that Eren will return during that time frame. </p><p>"If you get lonely while he's gone call me, I'll come over" Reiner says with a small wink. </p><p>A blush quickly spreads to Armin's cheeks and ears, prompting a small laugh out of the taller man. But that was a normal thing for a friend to say, right? Normal friends would dorm together when one of their roommates 'went home due to an emergency, right? Armin was just the one making it weird and turning it into something it wasn't, or that's what he had convinced himself of. The taller man inched closer to Armin, looking at him with darkened eyes. </p><p>"You're pretty when you blush, did you know that?" Reiner says, the words seeming like they came from deep in his chest. </p><p>Armin looked up at him with wide eyes, his blush deepening even further than it had before, as Reiner continued to approach him. He slid back a little bit out of instinct and the back of his knees collided with his mattress, causing him to forcibly sit down. Reiner bends down so they're at eye level before looking at his lips, his eyes slowly dragging back up to Armin's, who silently nods. Reiner grins before pressing his lips to Armin's own. </p><p>His lips were just as cold as before so Armin didn't react as much this time, his hands reaching and landing in Reiner's hair instead. Reiner places each hand on either side of Armin's hips, steadying himself. Armin didn't know much about kissing, he hadn't had the opportunity to kiss many people in his life, so he tried to keep up when Reiner's lips began to move against his own. Reiner's lips were unexpectedly soft against his own, tasting distinctly like mint and something metallic Armin just couldn't seem to figure out. Armin's whole body felt like it was on fire, in a good way, as Reiner continued to kiss him. </p><p>Knowing that he shouldn't force Reiner to stand like that forever, Armin begins to scoot backward on the mattress with his hands still in Reiner's hair. Reiner hums into the kiss before stopping, slowly pulling away as an indicator to Armin to stop moving. Armin slowly opened his eyes, panic flooding into him. Was that a mistake? Did Reiner not like it? The other blonde was looking at him with a fond look on his face, Armin's hands still in his hair and his hands still on either side of Armin. </p><p>"The door's open" Reiner observes, looking at the open door with a slightly unreadable look on his face. </p><p>"W-we should....." Armin trails off, biting his lip. </p><p>Reiner's gaze returns to him, looking down at his lips before back into his eyes. Armin drops his hands from Reiner's hair, letting them fall into his lap. Armin didn't want to stop, he wanted Reiner to close and lock the door so they could continue, but he knew that that's what they should do. </p><p>"Mikasa is bound to be here any minute, we should stop" Armin says after a moment, looking anywhere but in Reiner's eyes. </p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, Armin sees Reiner nod his head but he doesn't move out of their current position. He hears Reiner sigh after a moment before he withdraws his hands from near Armin's hips and stands. Armin looks up at him then, to see a slight look of disappointment on the other man's face but it quickly went away when Reiner noticed he was being looked at. He smiled down at the smaller boy before walking towards the door. </p><p>"I was serious, Armin, call me" Reiner says as he leaves, not giving Armin a chance to say anything back. </p><p>Armin's gaze remained on the open door on the other side of the room, as if staring in that general direction will cause something to happen. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sure that his face was as red as a tomato, if not worse. Mikasa was bound to be there any minute now so he couldn't afford to look like this, not after she walked in on his last kiss with Reiner. Armin unconsciously pressed two fingers to his pulsating lips, the feeling of Reiner's against his not leaving. </p><p>Now wasn't the time for him to get sidetracked by something like this, he needed to focus on preparing for when Eren returned and how he would react when that did happen. </p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. hydrangea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Armin had expected, Mikasa arrived at his dorm room mere moments after Reiner had left. She didn't knock as Reiner had previously, she simply made herself at home and sat down on her beanbag chair in the corner of the room. Armin wasn't surprised, he could practically feel the stress and worry pouring off of her in waves, so he decided against trying to make any small talk with her. </p><p>With a small sigh, Armin lifted himself off of his bed and moved to his desk. He had some assignments he wanted to get ahead on in preparation for his classes tomorrow so he could do that while he and Mikasa were sitting in silence together. She'd be there till late in the night, Armin assumed, or at least until the hall's RA checked the dorms to make sure everyone was where they were supposed to be. They both had silently agreed that they would wait for Eren to return together, as they were both equally worried about him, so it made sense that she was almost constantly in their dorm room instead of her own. </p><p>"I spoke to Levi today" Mikasa says after a long bout of silence.</p><p>"About?" Armin asks, turning around in his chair to be able to look at her. </p><p>"Eren. He said he's doing better" Mikasa says, her tone almost flat apart from some apparent relief. </p><p>"Did he say when he'd be coming back?" Armin asked. </p><p>Despite being worried about how his best friend's newfound status could potentially affect their friendship, all Armin wanted was to be able to see Eren and make sure that he's doing okay. This has probably been the longest time they've gone without seeing each other since before they became friends, as they've been nearly inseparable their entire lives. Mikasa shakes her head, a small frown forming on her face. </p><p>"It probably won't be long, if he said that Eren's doing better" Armin said, trying to make her feel just the slightest bit better. </p><p>Mikasa nods slowly, knowing that what Armin was saying made sense. </p><p>A loud laugh coming from the hallway startles the two of them, resulting in the two of them looking at the open door of the dorm with matching frowns on their faces. Their floor normally wasn't quiet after the majority of students got out of their classes for the day, as everyone normally hung out in a few of the rooms until after dinner most nights. An unspoken rule amongst the students in their year is that they all leave their dorm room doors open if they were home until one, or both, of the residents, were going to bed for the night in case other residents wanted studying help, a buddy to go to somewhere on campus with or just someone to hang out with. </p><p>The laughter got closer and closer to the open door until Jean, Sasha, Connie, and Marco trickle into the room. They all looked at the empty side of the room normally occupied by Eren before turning their collective attention to Armin and Mikasa. </p><p>"Heeeey Armin, Mikasa" Sasha says, a smile still present on her face from her previous laughing fit. </p><p>"Hi Sasha" Armin greets her, wary of whatever the intention of their little group is. </p><p>"You guys wanna come and grab some food with us? They're serving a bunch of different foods in the dining hall tonight, apparently" Marco asks, looking between Armin and Mikasa. </p><p>Armin and Mikasa share a quick look, knowing that it would be suspicious for them to turn the offer down but they both also wanted to remain in the dorm in case Eren would be returning sometime that afternoon. Armin also knew that Professor Smith and Professor Hange would want them to not draw any unneeded suspicion down onto the movement and the whole ordeal with Eren so he assumed that going out with a group of their friends was the best course of action. </p><p>"Yeah, sure" Armin says, standing from his desk. </p><p>Mikasa flashes him an unreadable look but says nothing as she stands from her beanbag chair. </p><p>"Cool! Let's hurry so we can get all of the good stuff!" Sasha exclaims, a delirious look filling her eyes as she talks about the potential food they could be getting. </p><p>The rest of the group silently rolls their eyes at her antics but they follow her out of the dorm room, Armin and Mikasa following closely behind them. The dorm building was relatively full of people, both of people that Armin recognized and some that he didn't, and they nearly had to push past some on their way towards the exit. The amounts of people inside the building only seemed to increase as they entered the common area as if there was a small gathering or party planned for that afternoon in their dorm hall. He recognized a group of students lounging about on some of the couches in the common area, one of them, in particular, looking over at Armin with a smile on his face. He returned the smile almost automatically, not remembering that there were in fact other people in the world around them at that moment. </p><p>The rest of the students that Reiner was with, those students being Bertolt, Annie, Pieck, and Porco, looked over at Armin with close to identical unreadable expressions on their faces before returning their attention to Reiner. Armin could see Mikasa looking back between Reiner and himself as they walked through the common area, questions likely beginning to form in her mind. He'd been lucky enough that she hadn't mentioned what she'd seen at the party but that was only guaranteed for so long, only until her mind wasn't 100% focused on finding Eren and bringing him back to them. </p><p>"What was that?" Mikasa hissed in his ear moments later, her breath in his ear causing goosebumps to erupt on his neck and arms. </p><p>"Nothing" Armin whispered back, decidedly ignoring the blush on his cheeks. </p><p>"I can tell that you're lying to me" Mikasa whispers, a frown on her face. </p><p>Armin looked in front of him at the group that they were following, not knowing whether or not they were far away enough to be able to hear their conversation or not. Once they got outside they should be fine, Sasha would practically be running to the dining hall if she had her way with Connie trailing shortly behind her. Jean and Marco were in their own little world when they were together, had been ever since the semester started, so Armin and Mikasa should be in the clear. </p><p>"It was nothing, Mikasa" Armin says, knowing no matter what he said Mikasa would continue down her line of questioning. </p><p>"So you two were kissing at the party! I knew that's what I saw!" Mikasa whisper exclaimed, sounding much happier than Armin would've thought she would have. </p><p>Armin simply nodded, not knowing what else to say. She did see the two of them kissing at the party but that's all it was, excluding their kiss in Armin's room only a few hours ago. He thought that she was too distraught about Eren going missing to even comprehend what he and Reiner had been doing but he was wrong. </p><p>"Are you two going out?" Mikasa asks as they leave the hall. </p><p>"No" Armin says after a moment. </p><p>He didn't have much previous experience in the relationship department so he didn't know if what they were doing, or had done twice, counted as going out or not. Sure, Armin thought that Reiner was a great guy and wouldn't mind being able to kiss him again but he wasn't sure if he was ready for a relationship with someone he basically just met and hardly knows. He also didn't know where Reiner's head was at in regards to the two of them, despite the fact that he's initiated both of their encounters and seems to enjoy them to a decent degree. </p><p>But Armin couldn't think about his potential relationship with Reiner while his best friend was still missing, that took precedence over everything and anything else going on in his life right now. He couldn't be stressing about that while Eren was still potentially locked up in that old gym with that group doing only God knows what to him. </p><p>"Ymir! Christa!" The pair hear Sasha call out in front of them. </p><p>They could see Ymir and Christa making their way towards their group of friends, Ymir's arm wrapped around Christa's shoulders with a protective aura about her. The pair were inseparable, they had all of their classes together and they shared a dorm, so it wasn't surprising to see them walking the campus together. Armin liked Christa, to be fair he thought that everyone in their class and even some upperclassmen did too, and they got along pretty good, even if Ymir was always hanging around her like a bodyguard or something. The group had stopped to wait for the pair so now Mikasa and Armin were right with them, their previous conversation about Armin and Reiner being forcibly put on the back burner for now. </p><p>"Hey guys" Christa says as they approached, an angelic smile on her face. </p><p>"Hey Christa, Ymir. You guys wanna come to the dining hall with us?" Sasha asks. </p><p>"Dinner isn't for another half hour, Sasha, why would we go?" Ymir asks, arching a brow at the other girl. </p><p>"They're serving new stuff tonight, we should be the first ones there!" Sasha exclaims, her love for food evident on her face. </p><p>"Is okay if we meet you guys there?" Christa asks before Ymir gets a chance to say anything else. </p><p>"We'll make sure to save you two some seats" Marco says. </p><p>Christa smiles and nods before Ymir nearly steers her away from anyone, the two of them starting to head back to the dorm building the group came from. As they're walking away, Armin sees Ymir's nose crinkle up before she looked over in his direction with an unreadable expression on her face. The expression falls as she looks away from him, turning her attention back over to her girlfriend and where they were headed. </p><p>What was that about?</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. rosoideae</h2></a>
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    <p>The dorm hall had quieted down by the time Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Marco, Sasha, and Connie had returned. They had stayed in the dining hall nearly all afternoon, catching up with each other and any of the other students in the hall that they knew. Christa and Ymir had met them there and stayed nearly as long as they did but left early due to some half-hearted excuse from Ymir that Christa 'needed her beauty sleep' or something along those lines that Armin wasn't forcing himself to remember. The only thing that remained in his mind regarding Ymir was that she had acted strangely towards him the entire time they were in the dining hall. </p><p>The two of them weren't great friends, Armin doesn't really know if he could consider himself friends with Ymir, but they normally got along fine in group settings. Tonight, however, was different as Ymir hardly glanced in his direction and when she did the same strange look appeared on her face from when they walked past each other earlier in the day. Maybe she thought that he was trying to make a move on Christa and she was trying to deter him? Armin would like to believe that he was good friends with Christa but that's as far as their relationship would ever get, as both of them were interested in their own gender instead of the opposite. He supposed she could just be having an off day or something like that so he decided it wasn't worth his time to confront and ask her about it. </p><p>"Night guys" Sasha says as she turns into her dorm, hers being the first in the hallway. </p><p>"Night" Everyone said in close to unison. </p><p>Everyone else parted silently, Jean and Marco going back to their shared dorm, Connie returning to the dorm he shared with Niccolo, and Mikasa and Armin returning to Armin and Eren's room. Mikasa closed the door behind herself and made her way over to her beanbag chair, basically dropping herself down onto it with a heavy sigh. Armin kicked his shoes off before approaching his desk, the book that Reiner dropped off gaining his attention. The book was in the same condition as it was the night of the party, no apparent damage to it in sight, but there was seemingly a piece of paper sticking out of it. He opened it and saw a small, handwritten note contained between the cover of the book and its first page. </p><p>The note was clearly written by Reiner, he was the only person who's had access to the book within the last 48 hours apart from Armin. A phone number was written on the note accompanied by a blunt 'call me', no name or identifying information included. Of course, Reiner had left his phone number in the book when he returned it, he hadn't told it to Armin during their conversation earlier that day so he must have had a plan from the very beginning. Armin took the note out of the book, which he then set back on the desk. He shoved the note into his pocket before sitting down on his bed, ignoring the pointed look Mikasa was giving him from the corner of the room. </p><p>"Armin" Mikasa said, the pointed look remaining in her eyes. </p><p>"Yeah?" Armin asked, hoping that she only had a few questions left and not an entire laundry list of them. </p><p>"Do you like Reiner?" She asked bluntly, her eyes never leaving Armin's. </p><p>Armin gulped, feeling a blush starting to rise to his cheeks. He's never given himself the time to think about it within the last day or so, as just so much had been happening within such a short amount of time. He still had to cope and deal with the fact that his best friend is a vampire so he'd hardly given himself anytime to contemplate his feelings for Reiner. Sure, the other blonde was very attractive and seemed to have an interest in Armin but did Armin have the same level of interest in him? He sure would enjoy being able to kiss him again and be able to spend more time with him so maybe that meant that he liked him?</p><p>Armin felt himself nod his head slowly, as if his body was trying to convince his mind that he did indeed like him. Mikasa's pointed look changed into one of apparent happiness, as she gave him one of her rare smiles. </p><p>"I hope that it works out then! Just if he hurts you know that I will make him regret him" Mikasa says, almost laughing at the cliche line.</p><p>"Thanks, Mikasa, I appreciate it" Armin says with a smile on his face. </p><p>Mikasa smiles back at him, something that's happened enough times in the years they've known each other that Armin could count it on one hand. He and Mikasa were close friends, they'd always had been ever since Mikasa got adopted by the Yeager's, so it was a relief for him to know that if anything were to come out of his encounters with Reiner that she'd be supportive of it. </p><p>The sound of the door to the dorm room opening drew both Mikasa and Armin's attention, causing them to both look at the door with wide eyes. The door slowly opened and Eren slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind himself. Armin's mouth dropped open of its own accord, the state that Eren was in genuinely shocked him. </p><p>His best friend looked as if he'd lost ten pounds in the last day, his eye bags deeper and darker than Armin's ever seen and his skin seemed to be a few shades paler than normal. He looked at Mikasa and Armin with an expression on his face that neither of them had ever seen before. Mikasa jumps her feet and crosses the room in what seems like an instant, standing in front of her adopted brother with an apprehensive look on her face.</p><p>From where Armin was sitting on his bed, he could see Eren clench his jaw as Mikasa remained in her spot which was less than a foot away from him. Mikasa seemed to notice this, however and moved a few inches backward.</p><p>"Mikasa, Armin" Eren said in an almost pained tone. </p><p>"A-are you okay?" Mikasa stammered, unsure of what she should do. </p><p>"I'm a monster, Mikasa, I can never be okay" Eren said, his gaze flitting between Mikasa and Armin. </p><p>"You're not a monster, Eren, you didn't hurt anybody" Armin says, standing from his bed and slowly approaching the adoptive siblings. </p><p>Eren's nose twitched as Armin approached, causing him to fully turn his attention to the smaller blonde. An expression made up of worry and rage filled his features, a reddish hue appearing in his normally emerald green eyes. Mikasa slowly inched backward even more, almost walking straight into Armin as a result. </p><p>"Who have you been around?" Eren asked, his tone unrecognizable. </p><p>"W-we just got back from the dining hall. What's going on?" Armin asks, sticking his now shaking hands into the pockets of his jeans. </p><p>"You smell like one of <em>them</em>" Eren basically spat out. </p><p>One of them? Does that mean there's actually another vampire, if not multiple, hiding amongst the student population at the university? Professor Smith had explained to him that he believed that to be the case but Armin didn't suspect it to be someone that they would come into contact with, let alone someone else in their dorm building or in their class. </p><p>"How can you tell?" Mikasa asked, seemingly fascinated and Armin could see the cogs working in her mind. </p><p>"It's....difficult to explain. Almost like he smells cold? It's just weird but I can tell" Eren tries to explain, his eyes slowly returning back to their normal green. </p><p>"Do I smell like one of them? Or is it just Armin?" Mikasa asked, slightly narrowing her eyes as if she was trying to concentrate on something. </p><p>"I.....can't tell" Eren says with a sigh after a moment. </p><p>"It's okay, we'll just make sure of who we hang around in the future" Mikasa says, as if Eren's answer was the one she needed for whatever she was trying to figure out. </p><p>Eren nods, seemingly slowly returning to his normal demeanor. Armin could practically see the tension oozing out of Eren's body, but there was still a cautious aura about him that was new. </p><p>"So they deemed you okay to be back out in the public again?" Mikasa asked, getting straight to the point. </p><p>"Professor Smith said for me to stay in here for the next day or so then I can go back to my normal schedule. Just so I can ease my way back in, or whatever he said" Eren said with a shrug. </p><p>"Well it's good to have you back" Mikasa says with a soft smile. </p><p>Armin nods in agreement, he was glad that Eren was back and didn't seem to be too different from the person he's known for practically his entire life. </p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. honeysuckle</h2></a>
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    <p>The weather the following days had taken a turn for the worst, the pouring rain hadn't stopped basically since Eren had returned and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Armin was surprised that the campus hadn't lost power at least once during the entire storm, as it was possible the worst rain he's experienced in his entire life up to this point. Most professors had canceled their classes for the entirety of the week, not wanting to make the commute to the campus. The dorm halls had been a hub of activity as a result of this, all of the students taking advantage of their newfound free time. </p><p>The communal area of the building was no different, nearly all of the students from Maria hall had made their way down to the first floor throughout the day. The crowd had progressively thinned out over the course of the day, leaving only Armin, Mikasa, and maybe a dozen other students at the various couches and desks in the room. The pair had more or less been camped down in the communal area for the last few days, only returning to their respective dorms after curfew had started. Eren had taken to sleeping throughout the majority of the day, whether it was because that's what vampires did or because he wanted to avoid unneeded human contact as much as possible wasn't clear to Armin. Their friends knew that he had returned to campus, Eren had made an effort to speak to them for a little bit before effectively locking himself into his and Armin's dorm room. </p><p>The students were all rushing to finish up any last-minute studying they needed to complete as midterms were just around the corner, Armin and Mikasa being no exceptions to this. They, along with fellow classmates Sasha, Niccolo, Annie, Bertolt, Hitch Dreyse, and Marlowe Freudenburg, had used their extra free time to study with other students in the communal area. The eight of them were sitting at one of the tables in the communal area, various different textbooks and study guides filling the entire table with minimal room for anything else. </p><p>"Hitch, babe, we've gone over this eighteen times" Marlowe says with a sigh, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. </p><p>The blonde glared at her boyfriend, slumping back in her seat with a defeated sigh of her own. The two had been arguing for nearly an hour at that point, halting any and all studying that the rest of the group was trying to accomplish. </p><p>"I'm just over it, you can keep studying but I'm done" Hitch says, closing her textbook with more aggression than necessary. </p><p>Armin and Mikasa share a quick look, silently deciding whether or not they should intervene in their argument or not. Armin knew that Hitch wasn't a fan of studying, or doing any of the general coursework that came with her classes if he believed what she and Marlowe had said, so he didn't exactly understand why she was in the study group with them but he just assumed that Marlowe had somehow persuaded her to come with him.</p><p>"Guys you're making it difficult for the rest of us to study, shut up" Annie says harshly, not looking up from her textbook. </p><p>A matching blush appeared on both Hitch and Marlowe's faces, causing them to look down at their books like scolded children. Armin, Mikasa, Sasha, and Niccolo all look back down at their individual textbooks, not wanting to get drawn into any unnecessary arguments by anyone else at the table. Everyone returned to their studies after that, no one wanting to anger Annie any further. </p><p>Laughter filled the communal room a few minutes later, prompting all eight of them to lift their heads to see where it was coming from. A group of male students that consisted of Reiner, Jean, Connie, Colt, and Porco had entered the room from the hallway to the left of the communal area. Sasha waved at the group, almost as if she was beaconing for them to come over and join their study group. The group walked over and as they did Armin saw Reiner and Bertolt sharing a look before Reiner turned his attention solely over to Armin. He gave him a small smile, one small enough just for him and him alone to notice. Armin smiles back, seeing Annie looking between him and Reiner out of the corner of his eye. </p><p>"What're you guys up too?" Connie asks, warily eyeing the textbooks on the table. </p><p>"Studying, what're you guys doing?" Sasha asks in return. </p><p>"We were looking for something to do. We're all sick of being cooped up in here" Jean says with a small frown. </p><p>"You could join us and study yourself to death" Hitch says with a frown, crossing her arms in front of her chest. </p><p>"I'm all set, thank you though Hitch" Jean said, eyeing the textbooks with a similar look to the one Connie had. </p><p>"Why don't you guys call it a quits and hang out with us instead? You must be bored looking at all that shit" Porco said, scowling in the direction of their textbooks. </p><p>"Midterms are coming up soon, y'know. It wouldn't hurt you to do some studying" Annie says, rolling her eyes at him. </p><p>"How about we all study together for a little while then? Then we can do something fun after?" Colt suggests, looking around at everyone for some form of support. </p><p>"Yeah! Then we can go get food after!" Sasha exclaims, a smile on her face. </p><p>"We'll go up and get our books then" Connie says with a sigh, turning around with a visible slack in his shoulders. </p><p>"Any specific classes you guys studying for or is it just a free for all?" Porco asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest. </p><p>"We're working on the study guide for Professor Yeager's class, I don't know what these guys are doing" Marlowe says, pointing at Sasha, Niccolo, Armin, and Mikasa. </p><p>"We're working on Professor Smith's latest paper" Niccolo says, jabbing at the piece of paper in front of him with his mechanical pencil. </p><p>"We're doing the study guide for Professor Hange's class" Mikasa says for herself and Armin. </p><p>The majority of people in their class were taking their core classes that semester, meaning that it was easier for them to study in a group as they hadn't started taking their specialized classes yet, so they oftentimes formed study groups for individual classes in an attempt to better understand the materials. Armin was no stranger to study groups going awry and with a group this large he'd be surprised if they resumed studying that day at all. </p><p>"Okay, thanks. We'll be back soon" Porco says. </p><p>The group of guys turn around and return the way that they came, Mikasa nudging Armin in the side as they do so. Armin looks over at his best friend with a slight frown on his face, rubbing his side where she had elbowed him. The group around them had continued on with their previous conversation, ignoring both Armin and Mikasa as they did so. </p><p>"What?" Armin asked in a hushed tone. </p><p>"Has he asked you out yet?" Mikasa asked, waggling her eyebrows at him. </p><p>A blush quickly erupted on Armin's cheek, resulting in a small laugh from Mikasa. </p><p>"No! We need to study" Armin said, pointedly looking away from her and down at his notes. </p><p>"Well it clearly seems like he likes you, Armin, so you should go for it" Mikasa says before returning her attention to her own notes, effectively ending their short conversation. </p><p>Armin sighed. </p><p>He knew that he liked Reiner, he would have to be an idiot to not realize that he had feelings for the other blonde at that point, but was he really in a place where he could just tell him? Maybe he should just to get it over with, let Reiner know how he's feeling so that the ball would metaphorically be in his court instead of Armin's. </p>
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